Planting – Drilling – Having depositor feature
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-21
2003-12-30
Novosad, Christopher J. (Department: 3671)
Planting
Drilling
Having depositor feature
C111S174000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06668738
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related generally to agricultural implements and more specifically to an improved apparatus and method for transferring agricultural seed or other particulate material from a principal storage site to individual material metering hoppers mounted on planters, grain drills and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the past, distribution of seed (or other particulate material such as fertilizer) for use in a variety of agricultural operations has been facilitated via a planter apparatus including a wheel supported carrier frame having a hitch for linking to a tractor or other prime mover, an implement bar mounted to the frame perpendicular to the transport direction and a plurality of row units (e.g., 8 to 32) mounted to and essentially equi-spaced along the length of the implement bar. Among other components, each row unit typically includes some type of seed bin that opens downwardly into a dispenser assembly and some type of soil agitator (e.g., a coulter or knife member) juxtaposed on the transport side of the dispenser. During transport through a field the agitator is forced through soil there below and forms a seed trench. As its label implies, the dispenser dispenses a pre-selected quantity of seed downward and behind the agitator into the trench.
The individual seed bins generally have limited storage capacity. For instance, many row unit seed bins are limited to between one and three bushel volumes. For this reason, these types of planter assemblies required frequent bin refilling. Unfortunately, seed filling stations (e.g., typically a barn or other storage unit) are typically stationary and therefore filling exercises often required a trip out of the fields back to a station and then a trip back to the fields to continue the seeding process. These filling trips increased the overall time required to plant fields. In addition to the round trip time required to refill bins, the refilling process itself was tedious as each separate row unit bin had to be filled during each filling exercise.
In an effort to reduce the number of seed refilling exercises required to seed a field, the industry has developed systems including one or more large seed reservoir hoppers mounted to the carrier frame that are transported along with the row units. A seed distribution system in which seed is conveyed from an equipment-mounted main hopper is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,473 (hereinafter the '473 patent) which issued on Nov. 10, 1992 and which is assigned to Deere and Company. The '473 patent utilizes a single main hopper which dispenses seed to a plurality of individual mini-hoppers that each, in turn, supply seed to an individual row unit. The seed is fed from the main hopper into each mini-hopper by entraining it in an air stream contained in separate, individual seed transfer hoses that are connected between the main tank and each of the individual mini-hoppers. To minimize costs, ideally, the mini-hoppers are designed to be as small as possible and to require as little material as possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,706 (hereinafter “the '706 patent”) which issued on Jan. 10, 1995 and is assigned to Agco Corporation describes another seed transporting system which also utilizes a central storage hopper for supplying a plurality of smaller satellite hoppers via a plurality of individual hoses or tubes running from the central hopper to each of the individual row units. Thus, while the systems of the '173 and '706 patents provide for the maintenance of seed supply quantities in the row hoppers or bins during seeding operations, they also require the incorporation of a large number of separate seed transport tubes in those systems where multiple, mini-hoppers are present. As in the case of most mechanical systems, in the case of multiple mini hopper systems requiring separate feed tubes, costs associated with the additional seed delivery tubes and related components are appreciable.
To reduce seed delivery costs associated with multi-tube delivery systems, there have been attempts at configuring a delivery system including essentially a single seed delivery tube or manifold assembly for delivering seed to all or an appreciable number (e.g., half) of the row units. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,652 (hereinafter “the '652 patent”) which issued on Apr. 11, 2000 and which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, teaches a delivery system having a manifold assembly including a plurality of manifold sections and diverting structures that together form a single sinuous-shaped passageway that opens into each of four separate metering bins. A separate diverter structure is mounted generally above each of the metering bins. A supply duct is linked between the particulate source and the first diverting structure and a separate intermediate duct is mounted between each two adjacent diverting structures.
The source described in the '652 patent includes a fan at the base of a main hopper that blows air through a head of seed and into a bottom end of the supply duct. Exemplary supply and intermediate ducts may be approximately 2 inches in diameter. Each diverting structure, as its label implies, diverts a portion of the air borne seed entering the structure downward through a tube and into an associated metering bin. Another portion of the seed entering each diverting structure is directed to a following manifold duct and hence to a subsequent diverting structure and corresponding metering bin.
The '652 patent embodiment includes four separate manifold configurations fed by a single fan source where each manifold feeds four separate metering bins. Other configurations are contemplated. For instance, where the fan is powerful enough 6 or even 8 metering bins may be fed via a single manifold configuration.
According to the '652 patent, the structure described operates as follows. With seed or some other particulate in a main hopper, when the air source is turned on, seed is entrained in the air and forced through the manifold assembly. As seed passes through the diverting structures some of the particulate is diverted into each of the metering bins. Eventually the bins fill with seed and the diverting structures become blocked. When one diverting structure becomes blocked, the air borne seed is delivered to other unblocked structures and, theoretically, there is a constant seed source provided to instantly refill the metering bins.
In reality, unfortunately, it has been found through empirical evidence that the '652 patent assembly has at least two important shortcomings. First, when all of the diverter structures become blocked, particulate and air flow to the manifold assembly as a whole is blocked. When the manifold as a whole is blocked the seed in the manifold generally settles and is not air borne. Thereafter, when one or more of the diverter structures becomes unblocked via metered seed distribution, there is a delay period during which the manifold flow resumes when no seed is delivered to the unblocked structure. Where the metering bins are relatively small, the delay periods have been known to result the metering bins being emptied prior to manifold seed delivery. This is particularly true in the case of the row units that are farthest removed from the source. Even short periods of empty bins causes uneven distribution of seed material which is unacceptable in many applications.
Second, the air-seed source configuration used to deliver seed in the '652 patent, it turns out, is not very efficient. To this end, generally, it has been determined that seeds can be transported satisfactorily with an air velocity of 5000 to 6000 feet per minute (FPM). With a 2 inch hose diameter, 5000 to 6000 FPM velocity translates into approximately 150 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air.
An exemplary fan employed in delivery experiments was designed to r
Lee Laurence K.
Ozers Guntis
Case LLC
Henkel Rebecca
Novosad Christopher J.
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